Volunteer lifeboat crews were called into action off the Conwy coast today after a 34ft pleasure craft suffered engine failure and steering problems at sea.

At 12.42pm, the Conwy RNLI Lifeboat Station was tasked by HM Coastguard to assist the vessel, which had become disabled after suffering both engine failure and a jammed rudder.

Conwy’s D-Class inshore lifeboat Enid & John Hislop launched on an ebbing tide with three volunteer crew members onboard – Steve, Clare and Paul – and quickly began searching the area after receiving updated coordinates placing the casualty vessel near C12.

The crew located the boat shortly afterwards and found that the skipper had managed to restart one engine. However, the rudder remained jammed, leaving the vessel with significant steering difficulties and unable to safely make passage.

Given the size of the vessel and ongoing concerns around control, additional assistance was requested from colleagues at Llandudno RNLI, who launched their Shannon Class all-weather lifeboat to support the operation.

On arrival, the Llandudno crew assessed the situation and took the casualty vessel under tow, guiding it safely back to the Conwy Marina area and placing it onto the outside waiting berth.

The incident was described as a strong example of multi-agency cooperation between HM Coastguard and both Conwy and Llandudno RNLI lifeboat stations, ensuring the situation was brought to a safe and controlled conclusion.

With the vessel secured and its crew safe, Conwy lifeboat was stood down, returning to station where it was washed down, refuelled and prepared for service once again.